Chances, Risks, and Rewards
by FickleArtist
Summary: The other Eds are busy for the day, his parents have locked him out of the house, and Edd has no idea what to do with himself. Meanwhile Marie Kanker decides to escape the oven her family calls a trailer.


Today was one of those rare summer days when Double D found himself completely alone for an entire day. Wait…are you guys not shocked by that? I just said Double D, the young brainiac forced on a daily basis to take part in or help plan some type of scheme to get pocket change for an extraordinarily large piece of candy, was on his own. For an **ENTIRE** day. Got it? Good, now let us continue.

Today was one of those rare summer days when Double D found himself completely alone for an entire day. So how had this possibly once in an until-we-graduate-from-high-school-time event occurred? Well it was quite simple really. Eddy hadn't been able to pull his grades up to passing before the end of term so he was in summer school and his parents had hired a tutor who stayed until dinner. He was pretty much under house arrest. The loveable Ed was spending the day at the beach with his parents, Sarah, and Jimmy.

Being fairly socially awkward he couldn't just go and hang out with any of the other kids in the cul-de-sac, not that it was even a possibility. Kevin had taken Naz to the local mall to check out the latest street bikes for sale. Rolf was busy working in his family's garden, which was no longer a modest plot in the backyard. That left Johnny who had gone off with Plank to visit the piece of wood's 'family'. So Edd had free reign of the entire neighborhood. His original plans to stay inside to read the latest scientific discoveries and expand his vocabulary had been put on hold when his parents locked him out of the house with a packed lunch, some water, sunscreen, and his swim trunks. They weren't even home, they'd just locked him out to make him get some fresh air.

_As much fun as it was watching her sisters bicker over whose turn it was to sit in front of the fan, Marie Kanker decided to go off on her own for a while. Their trailer's AC was broken, again, and being around Lee when she was miserable from the heat, combined with the redhead's fiery temper, was awful. How May could put up with it was beyond Marie. At first she'd just wandered around the trailer park but one of her neighbors wouldn't stop singing the same freaking gospel song! No one else was outside because of the heat so she could hear the annoying woman no matter where she went. Not that Marie had a problem with religious music; it was just hearing it for the umpteenth time that drove her insane. So that's how she'd ended up at the swimming hole after a quick run into her trailer to grab a few things. _

_ Rather than go to the more frequented spots, the blue haired teen made her way to the spot she'd found a few summers ago that no one else seemed to use. It was a pretty little spot with a few trees along the shore that offered a lot of shade. Setting her bag under one of the trees she decided to go for a quick dip. It felt so good after sitting in the trailer turned oven. Unconsciously, Marie began to hum the song she'd heard in the trailer park to herself. She didn't notice when she began to sing it_.

His face still bright red, Edd walked to the swimming hole. He'd had to change into his swim trunks in the woods and his modesty demanded he be ashamed of the fact. Getting semi-nude anywhere than the privacy of his own bathroom or bedroom was uncomfortable. Luckily most people were inside to escape the summer heat or already swimming. The usual spots were crowded with families, kids from school, and tourists passing through. His lack of social skills made him continue walking in hopes of finding a more deserted piece of beach that offered a bit of shade.

Several minutes of walking led to him getting lost since he'd never been this far down the beach before. A sudden break in the trees gave him hope that he could get his bearings. Walking towards it he came to an abrupt stop when he heard someone singing.

_Soft as the voice of an angel, breathing a lesson unheard_

_ Hope with a gentle persuasion whispers her comforting words_

_ Wait till the darkness is over, wait till the tempest is done_

That voice, it was very pleasant to listen to, yet he felt he'd heard it before. No, that was silly, he would remember whoever that lovely voice belonged to. When he came to the break in the trees he found himself on a near pristine beach. However he had little time to admire the scenery once his eyes found a familiar blue haired girl laying down a towel on the sand. Standing less than thirty feet from him was the female who enjoyed tormenting him with her unwanted affection. Every logical thought in his brain yelled for him to run now before she spotted him but a curious side of him kept him rooted in place.

Marie began to hum the same tune as she pulled her tank top off to reveal a black bikini top. Blood rushed to his face as he watched her unbuckle her belt and slide her pants down. Now in nothing but a solid black bikini, the teen threw her clothes at a bag under a nearby tree.

A smart boy would have hid instead of continuing to stand in plain sight, an Ed should be running in the opposite direction, a normal person wouldn't stand there and stare, but when has Edd ever been normal? His mind immediately began making observations on what he was seeing. How many times had he seen Naz and recently Sarah wearing similar swimwear and only been flustered? Why was the sight of a Kanker turning his face beet red, making his heart race, and making thought difficult? Under her normal attire of a tank top and baggy pants Marie had a very pleasing figure. She wasn't just pretty like Naz, she was beautiful. The more he looked, the harder it was to form coherent thoughts.

Suddenly his bag hit the ground with a loud thud. A pair of near black eyes snapped his way to meet his gaze. For several seconds that seemed to drag out for an eternity the pair stared at one another. A faint blush painted itself over her freckled face. Finally something clicked in the raven haired teen's brain that allowed him to function normally. Knowing he couldn't outrun her and that he deserved any kind of reprimand, Double D pulled his beanie down over his eyes with both of his hands.

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry fo-for staring, Ma-Marie." Curse his nervous stutter.

Had he not of pulled his hat over his face the teen might have noticed the internal struggle the blue haired girl was going through. On one hand she could be a teasing little flirt or she could drop the act she put on when around her sisters. Okay so it wasn't all an act. There was something about the socially impaired nerd that drew the punk-ish teen in like a moth to flame. The crush she had on him was all too real but chasing him all over the place, forcing kisses on him, and forcing him to be in her company was all an act. Call it a pack mentality thing she had with her sisters. One day she saw them chasing their Ed's around to show their affection and she'd joined in. At times she felt downright ashamed of her actions but she still hadn't stopped, because it was all she knew how to do that got him to notice her. Marie doubted he'd have ever noticed her if she acted like her real self.

Well when's a better time to put that theory to the test?

"Come on down lover I don't bite, not unless you want me to that is," Okay so maybe she'd tease him a bit first.

Timidly, Double D raised the hem of his hat above his eyes to look at her. She had both her hands on her hips and was smiling at him. Not her usual, predatory smile but a warm, inviting smile. Against his better judgment the teen picked up his bag and walked onto the beach. Marie seemed to be delighted that he chose to stay. While he put his own towel on the sand near her's, Marie grabbed a couple things out of her bag. Sitting on her towel she turned to face her long time crush to find he'd taken off his own shirt. What she saw wasn't what one would expect from the nerd. For one thing he wasn't a puny little stick, there was actually a bit of muscle and he was actually a bit tan. It was a pleasant surprise in her mind.

Neither of them said a word as they began applying sunscreen. Once or twice she could have sworn he stole a glance at her. It was a bit flattering.

"Want some help?" he was struggling to reach his back.

The blush that had been fading came back full force, "Um, I think I can handle it, thank you."

After watching him struggle for a few minutes Marie repeated her offer.

"Really Marie I can do it myself."

Rolling her eyes the blue haired girl took the sunscreen from him and covered the part of his back he couldn't reach.

Edd flinched at her touch which caused her to frown.

"…I'm not really like that you know."

"I beg your pardon?"

"What me and my sisters have been doing to you guys for years, I don't really act like that."

He considered her words for a moment, "then why do you do it?"

That was a question she'd been asking herself for a while. "Honestly I don't know, May and Lee were doing it so I did it too."

Going back to her towel the pair faced each other.

Being understanding was something he was good at, though applying it to this particular situation was proving difficult. If what the Kanker said was true then he should give her a chance to prove it, after all there'd be no harm in it. Well, perhaps a bit of harm to his sanity. He had to be a bit insane to even consider this but that was part of who he was, someone who gave everyone a chance.

"So how much of what I've seen is really who you are? Besides being pushy."

Marie wouldn't help but giggle at that. Yes she had always been pushy, most of the time it was unconsciously done.

"Not much."

Again he considered her words for a moment before replying. "Would you care to show me the real you?"

Four weeks later Double D found himself making regular visits to the little beach with Marie. They'd started talking about little things like school at first but now they talked about quite a lot of things. What they planned on doing after high school, home life, bits of their past, and all the stupid antics they'd gotten into when the Ed's and Kankers met. It was a pleasant change from trying to scam people every day. Not that he didn't miss his friends but he was becoming very fond of talking with Marie.

He'd always suspected that she was smarter than she let on and he was right. The other kids thought the sisters were dumb except when it came to street smarts, well not May, the popular consensus was that she was a complete moron. As it turned out Marie was very bright. Not that she took advanced placement classes but her GPA was impressive and she was in a few honor classes. She was pretty chill most of the time, had a great sense of humor, and actually seemed to know what personal space was. Seeing the difference between the girl he'd come to know and the teen who listened to his science rambles and had become his friend astonished him. They got along so easily. There seemed to be no end to the topics they could talk about, no awkward silences, and no uncomfortable feelings when they sat close. Each day the young nerd found himself admiring something new about her; her smile, her laugh, the way she talked with her hands, her eyes, and her voice. Recently he'd found himself realizing just how comfortable he was around her, silently hoping she'd sit a little bit closer to him, and missing her when they had to part ways.

Eventually they'd have to let everyone else know that they were friends. Eddy would most likely yell until he was red in the face, call him an idiot, and try to ruin the friendship. As for Ed, well there would surely be a theory that aliens or magic were somehow involved. Her sisters would probably be a mixture of jealousy and happy since she would be the only one to succeed in getting any type of relationship with an Ed (for the time being anyway). Neither of them were in a hurry to tell anyone though, the drama could wait. At least for a while longer.

In the last week they'd actually spent a few afternoons at his house watching movies. However they both enjoyed the secluded little beach best. Today however, he wished they could just go watch a movie instead. Marie was tired of him not going swimming even though he was miserable sitting in the shade. It was too hot for him to just sit there, so that's why they were arguing.

"Really Marie I'm fine."

"Bullshit!"

"There's no need for that kind of language."

His words just annoyed her more. "Why even bother coming out here if you're not going to swim? You look like you're going to pass out from the heat."

Crossing her arms she glared down at him. He was sitting against a tree looking up at her. Her intentions were good and yelling at him wasn't her preferred tactic but he hadn't responded when she tried to reason with him. With a sigh he looked away from her.

"I…can't swim very well."

"Clarification please."

"I'd be able to keep my head above water about twice as long as a person who can't swim. That's why I use flotation devices." His face was once again bright red. It wasn't easy admitting that at 17 he could barely swim.

Still not looking at her, he imagined she was trying not to laugh at him, a courtesy his friends hadn't given him in years. He was proved wrong when he was yanked to his feet and dragged to the water. His protests fell on deaf ears as he was forced into the water. Struggling did little to stop the determined girl from dragging him. Once they were ankle deep he felt panicky.

"Marie please, I really can't swim!"

"We're not going deep enough for you to drown because you can't swim."

"Actually it only takes a couple of inches of water to – "

"Finish that sentence and I'll throw your hat into deep water."

"You wouldn't!"

"Yes I would."

He could hear her smirk. Even though he knew she wouldn't, he couldn't help but protectively hold his hat on his head with his free hand.

"Besides I won't let you drown."

Stopping in a couple feet of water Marie gave him a look that said if he went back to shore she'd do something unspeakable to his precious hat. The sight of him holding his hat on his head with both hands and looking at her with sad puppy eyes made her giggle though. It was so cute. She sat down in the water and waited for him to do the same. Reluctant as he was, Double D couldn't deny that the cool water felt good after sitting in the summer heat for so long. For the sake of his hat he sat down in the water too. The water only came up to their shoulders.

A content sigh escaped his lips as the water cooled his skin. This was so much more comfortable than sitting under that tree. He could hear Marie trying, and failing, to suppress her laughter.

"Told you, you'd feel better if you went in the water."

"Yes, yes, I admit you were right."

Marie sat on her knees in front of him and smiled.

"So Mr. Know-It-All, is this really that bad?"

Smiling back at her, Edd let out a chuckle. "No it's not. Thank you for being so pushy."

"Hmm, you're getting better at teasing Double D."

"Perhaps it's a sign that you're rubbing off on me Marie."

"Good."

Under the water he felt her hands rest on his knees as she leaned closer to him. Sometimes she did that, leaned in closer so some part of them touched, put an arm on his shoulder, a hand on his knee, she didn't even seem to notice she did it. Despite knowing she had feelings for him, he believed that having some sort of physical contact was natural for her. Looking back to their time in school he remembered seeing her doing the same with her sisters, which was why he didn't mind it as long as it seemed to be done without her knowing. This wasn't one of those times however.

"It's about time someone taught you to have a little fun."

His face immediately turned red. "Marie!"

"Geez," she rolled her eyes at him, "for a seemingly innocent nerd you have a perverted mind. I meant things you enjoy doing, not just something you're roped into doing because Eddy's a bossy little shit."

"There's no need to call my friends names."

Splashing water in his face, she couldn't help but laugh, "you didn't deny it though."

In retaliation Edd splashed her. This led to a splashing battle between the two of them. Hearing him laugh made her heart beat faster. He didn't laugh much and he had such a warm laugh. Knowing she'd been the cause of it made her feel all warm and fuzzy, as cliché as that was. At one point his hat began to slip off his head so she pulled it back on his head, pulling it over his eyes to give her a slight advantage. Curious as she was to know what, if anything, he kept hidden under the hat she also knew that having it safely on his head meant a lot to him.

For a few minutes he struggled to push his hat back to its proper position but Marie kept tugging his hands away or pulling it back down. Finally he managed to push it back and grab her wrists not long after. They just sat there catching their breath and laughing. It gave him time to admire her features. Never before the rather abrupt start of their friendship had he noticed much about her other than her hair color, preference for black nail polish, and unique wardrobe choice. Now he saw so much more. Her eyes were a dark shade of brown that made them look almost black until you were right in front of her. A faint blush made the faint freckles on her cheeks stand out more than usual. Her hair was soaked, turning it a darker shade of blue that reminded him of the night sky and clung to her face. She was very pretty and, though he'd never say it anywhere but in the privacy of his own mind, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Spending so much time together recently, getting to know one another, it was beginning to spark romantic feelings in him.

Okay, so maybe it was more than a spark, but Double D wasn't known for letting his feelings get the better of him or rushing into things. He saw no reason to potentially ruin the friendship, which hadn't even been made public, because his teenage hormones were overpowering logic and reason. What was the term Eddy would use to explain this? Oh yes, a summer fling, something that happened fast just to burn out after a couple of months. That wasn't what the teenage boy wanted in a relationship, if one ever happened. If he did date a girl he wanted it to last. Not that high school couples usually became lifelong partners but he could dream couldn't he? So he was a little reserved with his feelings for Marie. He wanted to figure out how far his affection for her went before jumping into something that could hurt one or both of them down the road. Did he even want to start something with her, was the big question. She didn't seem to mind pushing her romantic feelings for him aside to be friends. And the friendship was becoming as meaningful as the one he shared with his fellow Ed's. Yet there was a part of him begging to toss caution to the wind so this opportunity to love didn't pass him by.

"Can I have my hands back?"

He should let go, he'd held onto her hands a bit too long, but he didn't want to. One of his hands released a wrist. Marie ran her free hand through her hair to push a few strands off her face. She wondered what was going through his head. It wasn't like him to space out but she wasn't about to complain. Then his hand was touching her face, fingertips brushing against her neck. Her eyes grew wide and her body stiffened at the unexpected touch. What shocked her most was that he didn't draw his hand back, didn't look embarrassed, or even blush.

Seeing her tense up at his touch was a bit concerning, perhaps he was crossing some sort of line. However hadn't she been the one telling him to stop being so timid and that sometimes risks paid off? He'd seen her take risks, trying new things, finding a way to get what she wanted. Were his social skills a bit better he might have tried a different tactic but her somewhat impulsive nature had rubbed off on him. Whatever the consequences were he'd deal with them, he just prayed losing her wouldn't be one of them. Logic, reason, all the niceties he'd been raised with, it was time to say screw them for a second.

Edd pressed his lips to her's. Slowly he counted to three then pulled back, only to have Marie pull him back so she could kiss him properly. When they finally parted they were panting again. They shared a smile before heading back to the beach hand in hand. Happiness seemed to radiate off Marie as they collected their things so they could go home. Tomorrow they'd talk, lounge around at his house, and enjoy each other's presence. In the coming days friends would find out that they were together and they'd deal with any outbursts. Today all either of them wanted was to enjoy the feeling of being loved.


End file.
